Soccer fans want a game of two halves

Worawi Mukudi has been re-elected president of the Thailand Football Association but the dust has not yet settled. There are allegations of irregularities in the voting. However the result awaits the approval of the Sports Authority of Thailand and observers believe Worawi, who has held the post since 2007, is likely to remain the top man in football in this country.  

Worawi topped his only challenger, Virach Chanpanich, but no one could call him a popular figure. In his role he has been booed, met with hostility at the stadiums and bombarded with brickbats on the social media. Yet his poor rating is widely regarded on a par with the poor performance of the national team – nothing is expected to change anytime soon.

Given a fresh mandate, what Worawi must now do is lay a solid foundation for improving Thai football. He can win the hearts of fans simply by improving the players’ performances, rather than collecting more silverware for the trophy cabinet. In football, even a bad result can provide hope. Perhaps Worawi should be focusing on that aspect of the sport. 

This new beginning should not be arduous for him. After six years in office he surely knows Thai football better than anyone. Shortly before the election Thailand dropped four places in the Fifa world rankings, to 143rd. In the early 2000s our national team was ranked in the 40s. The only trophy Thailand has claimed during Worawi’s tenure came from the 2007 Asean Games. We really can’t get much worse. In a fourth consecutive term, Worawi can offer no excuses if matters fail to improve.

To date, however, Worawi has utterly failed to slow the decline of a sport that Thais hold closest to their hearts. The trophy drought and free-falling Fifa ranking are evidence of this. Fans began demanding his resignation in late 2010 when Thailand was upset in the Suzuki Cup. 

Worawi must begin by cleaning up his own office. First and foremost, he should install a system that enhances the game and grooms talent across the country. He can learn from our more-successful sports associations, like women’s volleyball and badminton. They scouted and cultivated young talent and the result has been fame and medals.

The president will also have to clean up the country’s top league, which is plagued with political conflict. It’s a sour environment for homegrown players to try and perform well in. Worawi must ensure the local leagues are properly managed, with an eye to aiding the national team’s development. 

Worawi is certainly not the cause of these problems, but this is a moment to consider the criticism directed at him. It should spur him to seek solutions. He has been accused of nepotism, cronyism, abuse of power and a lack of transparency in his office. The jeers from fans should serve as inspiration for him to improve his reputation. The fact that fans boo him shows they still care about football. Worawi should know that, in football, nothing but results matters. It is time for him to figure out how to achieve those results.